Ranked

891 uS universities whose graduates repay fastest

Share of borrowers whose loan balance is falling three years after leaving — the clearest published signal that a degree is being paid off rather than deferred.

#UniversityIn-stateCost of attendance BorrowPaying downSATAcceptance
201 Illinois College Jacksonville, Illinois $38,676 $48,955 83% 77% 1064 78%
202 Valparaiso University Valparaiso, Indiana $48,450 $58,437 52% 77% 1178 89%
203 Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, Ohio $53,888 $68,424 62% 77% 56%
204 University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas $11,688 $31,247 27% 77% 1395 27%
205 Bradley University Peoria, Illinois $42,160 $54,730 63% 77% 77%
206 Drexel University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania $62,412 $76,835 49% 77% 1345 79%
207 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, Texas $61,740 $76,604 25% 77% 1298 44%
208 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, New York $59,274 $74,626 53% 77% 1383 67%
209 William Jewell College Liberty, Missouri $20,610 $35,785 48% 77% 1095 38%
210 Fordham University Bronx, New York $64,915 $82,762 47% 77% 1418 59%
211 New York University New York, New York $62,796 $84,374 19% 76% 1520 9%
212 Huntington University Huntington, Indiana $31,870 $42,157 39% 76% 1052 76%
213 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, Wisconsin $9,642 $21,705 42% 76% 1220 82%
214 Christopher Newport University Newport News, Virginia $16,828 $33,766 37% 76% 1180 86%
215 Wagner College Staten Island, New York $53,200 $65,574 53% 76% 1243 88%
216 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, Wisconsin $9,008 $19,781 43% 76% 1150 82%
217 University of Richmond University of Richmond, Virginia $65,230 $80,961 32% 76% 1497 22%
218 Catholic University of America Washington, District of Columbia $58,378 $75,481 48% 76% 83%
219 Hendrix College Conway, Arkansas $38,200 $55,013 45% 76% 1282 56%
220 University of Evansville Evansville, Indiana $44,172 $57,451 41% 76% 78%
221 Belmont University Nashville, Tennessee $42,540 $62,570 34% 76% 1280 95%
222 Knox College Galesburg, Illinois $57,903 $68,134 67% 76% 1326 71%
223 South Dakota State University Brookings, South Dakota $9,299 $24,636 43% 76% 1120 98%
224 Iowa State University Ames, Iowa $10,787 $24,018 43% 76% 1204 89%
225 Saint Mary's College of California Moraga, California $57,803 $77,659 42% 76% 87%
226 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota $10,951 $25,605 41% 76% 77%
227 Simpson College Indianola, Iowa $47,656 $61,227 71% 76% 1440 86%
228 Dickinson State University Dickinson, North Dakota $9,118 $20,567 34% 76% 37%
229 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, Wisconsin $10,701 $22,797 48% 75% 1150 88%
230 The Culinary Institute of America Hyde Park, New York $39,850 $58,790 53% 75% 1060 91%
231 Bridgewater College Bridgewater, Virginia $16,090 $58,702 60% 75% 1180 92%
232 Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, Washington $52,254 $62,459 44% 75% 1168 78%
233 Albion College Albion, Michigan $56,950 $69,986 64% 75% 81%
234 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, Illinois $53,710 $67,408 45% 75% 1297 82%
235 Winona State University Winona, Minnesota $10,576 $23,683 49% 75% 75%
236 Hastings College Hastings, Nebraska $37,770 $51,422 61% 75% 1320 72%
237 Western New England University Springfield, Massachusetts $47,820 $60,262 78% 75% 1192 83%
238 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, Minnesota $14,610 $27,680 44% 75% 1251 89%
239 University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Bradford, Pennsylvania $14,770 $30,478 62% 75% 1125 89%
240 University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Johnstown, Pennsylvania $14,906 $30,349 58% 75% 1105 95%

Questions

Best repayment in the US: which university leads?
Illinois College — 77% of borrowers paying their balance down.
Where does this data come from?
The US Department of Education College Scorecard, which publishes what institutions charge, what students borrow and repay, and the test scores of admitted students. Nothing here is estimated — universities without a published figure are left out of the ranking.
Is the cheapest university the best value?
Not necessarily. Price is one half of value; the other is what graduates earn and whether they clear the debt. Each university page links to its earnings and repayment record.

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard. Universities without a published figure for the ranked measure are not listed.